It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to cooking.  Even if you’re preparing delicious meals every day (like lasagna or taco soup), it’s still not that unusual to get tired of eating the same ol’ same ol’ all the time.

That’s why occasionally we like to change up the culinary routine by eating breakfast for dinner.

OK, is eating breakfast for dinner really anything all that amazing? Well, not really.  Can it save you money?  I believe so.  When you get bored eating meals at home, you’re more inclined to go out for a change.  In fact, I think there are plenty of folks out there who dine out for no other reason than they just don’t feel like eating what they have at home.  That can get really expensive really fast.  So while cooking waffles for supper may not be anything extraordinary, if it keeps you from spending 3 or 4 times as much money on a plate at a restaurant, I’d call that a fair deal.

Why Breakfast for Dinner?

Good question. Here’s the deal:

• Breakfast is awesome. There’s a reason some restaurants (e.g. Waffle House and IHOP) specialize in serving almost exclusively breakfast foods and others (e.g. Whataburger and…well, Whataburger) include it as part of their 24-hour menu: Breakfast food is just plain awesome.  It tastes good, it’s relatively easy to make, and it gives you an excuse to pull out all the stops on the syrup, jelly, and sorghum.
• It’s easier to enjoy breakfast at night. Unless your family is trying to scarf down supper before a ballgame, you probably have a little more time to invest in preparing and enjoying dinner than you do breakfast.  Most of us roll out of bed not a minute sooner than we have to, scramble around getting ready for work or class, have just enough time to butter our lips as slide a piece of toast between them and into our mouths, and then bolt for the door.Maybe you’re a morning person (as I have become more so in recent years), but the vast majority of us lead rather stressful morning routines that leave us little time for making omelets and flap-jacks.  After work and class, however, it’s a different story.  All you’re missing out on by cooking at this point is your favorite TV show.  You have more time to really make the most out of your recipes, and you can kick back and enjoy the finished product.
• It’s a simple way to change your evening routine. If you have kids, they’ll love getting waffles for supper.  If it’s just you (or you and your spouse), you’ll still be able to enjoy eating something different for a change.

The bottom line: Breakfast for dinner is just great!

So What Do I Cook?

There are still a lot of breakfast recipes I haven’t had a chance to post yet.  However here are a few that should help get you started if you’re unsure what kind of breakfast you want to serve for dinner:

• Homemade Cinnamon Biscuits.  Homemade biscuits are an old fashion breakfast staple.  Add a little sorghum, butter, or jelly, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic piece of bread.
• Easy French Toast.  French toast is an excellent breakfast recipe that goes great with syrup, sorghum, or jelly.
• Egg in a Basket.  Egg in a basket is, essentially, an egg fried in the center of a slice of bread.  It’s good by itself, but really comes alive when you sweeten it up with a little syrup (or sorghum) before you eat it.
• Cinnamon Toast.  If you really just want to relax, consider making some cinnamon toast.  All you really have to do is butter some toast, sprinkle on a little cinnamon, and enjoy it.  You can add jelly or syrup to it as well, but you don’t have to.
• Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal.  Oatmeal is a healthy meal unto itself.  Adding a little cinnamon and some raisins will take its taste up to a whole new level, and give you a meal that will really stick to your ribs.

Bonus Material

When you make breakfast for dinner, don’t forget the syrup, jelly and sorghum. Sorghum (aka “sweet sorghum molasses”) is a type of molasses made from stalks of sorghum cane.  My understanding is that sorghum cane grows in a wider climate area than sugar cane, making it popular in warmer, rural, temperate regions.  You can find it at some grocery stores, local festivals, and Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.  Sorghum was once widely consumed throughout the southern United States, but has declined in popularity during the past half-century due to tighter regulations on outdoor molasses production (sorghum is traditionally produced by boiling sorghum juices over a wood fire at an outdoor facility) and the wider availability of other syrups and can sugar.  It’s still awesome, though, so be sure to pick up a jar of sorghum if you ever get the chance.  I guarantee you’ll love it, because it tastes great on EVERYTHING!

Filed under: Saving Money

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